The Next Generation of Vermont Maple Products

03/26/2018 03:19PM
● By Melanie Heisinger

If
you’ve been away from Vermont for more than a few years, you may notice a significant
difference on the maple shelf at your local co-op the next time you visit. The
usual plastic jugs and maple-leaf glass bottles not only feature a new rating
system (so long “grade B”) but are being crowded out by new producers with
altogether swankier packaging and infusions of everything from makrut leaf and
hibiscus to cardamom and elderberry. Still, other bottles claim aging in rum or
bourbon barrels.

In short, Vermont maple products are going 4.0. and getting
national recognition for it, even by Oprah. Here are three favorites from the
next generation of maple products.

Runamok Infused Syrups

Perhaps
no one gave a greater bump to the Vermont maple name nationally than Oprah
herself, who added Runamok’s trio set of bourbon-barrel aged, hibiscus-infused,
and cinnamon-vanilla-infused syrups to her annual list of favorite things in
2016. In the three days following her plug, Runamok Maple made as much in sales
as it had in the previous six months. The infusions also add a whole new range
of opportunities for artisanal food pairings, particularly with spectacular
Vermont cheese. Start with elderberry-infused maple syrup with smoked gouda. Oh,
so gouda!runamokmaple.com

Sap!

Chas
Smith and cousin Nikita Salmon grew up in Vermont drinking sap straight from the
bucket on the family farm during sugaring season. Now, they’ve added
carbonation, turning it into the booming business called Sap! Not only does it have
an appealing light and delicious flavor—minimal ingredients and processing make
it a favorite of health-conscious consumers. The canned sodas and seltzers even
earned an appearance on the TV show Shark
Tank in January 2018, gaining national recognition and an explosion in
sales of around two to three thousand percent.

WhistlePig Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup

Vermont’s
craft-beer revolution also brought a wave of artisanal distilleries, including
Shoreham-based WhistlePig, whose “Boss Hog” won the Best Whiskey award at the
San Francisco Spirits Competition in 2017. As for the oak barrels hewn from oak
trees on the 1,200-acre farm, they’ve been turned over to maple syrup for aging.
The grade A “robust amber” sits for 6 to 12 months before being drizzled atop
your pancakes and adding a rye kick, giving new meaning to “liquid gold.”

What maple product are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments!